Pak-Afghan talks: Mechanism agreed to ensure border peace

Differences persist over new border controls introduced by Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan will establish a new mechanism for consultations and coordination in order to prevent recurrence of border skirmishes, officials said on Monday, even though differences between the two countries on Islamabad’s new border controls still persist.

The agreement was reached during talks between a visiting Afghan delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hikmat Khalil Karzai, and a Pakistani side, headed by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, said officials familiar with the development.

While there was an agreement on a mechanism for discussions on border-related issues, there was no headway on the new border controls Pakistan has introduced at the Torkham border crossing.

The Afghan delegation visited Islamabad at the invitation of Prime Minister’s foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz to discuss the situation triggered by recent clashes at the Torkham border crossing and to find a way forward on efforts for border management. Talks held at the Foreign Office were also attended by military officials from the two sides.

A senior official told The Express Tribune that the meeting was ‘held in a very constructive’ manner. He dismissed reports that both sides failed to break the deadlock. “The very fact that Afghan delegation visited Pakistan is an indication that the two sides are willing to resolve the issue through dialogue,” the official said.

Both sides decided to establish an ‘institutionalised mechanism’ to discuss issues related to border management, said the official who wished not to be named.

The mechanism will exclusively deal with issues of border, particularly the new border rules Pakistan has started implementing this month at Torkham, one of the busiest crossing points between the militancy-plagued neighbours.

Tensions escalated between the two countries after Afghan security forces attempted to disrupt the construction of a gate by Pakistani authorities at Torkham.

Afghanistan argued that the gate construction was in violation of an understanding reached earlier between the two countries. However, Pakistan defended its decision and said the gate was being built within its own territory and hence there was no question of violation of any bilateral agreement or international norm.

Sources said the Pakistani officials informed the Afghan delegation that it would not halt the construction of the Torkham gate but at the same time expressed willingness to resolve the issue through talks.

Sources said Pakistan held Afghan Ambassador Dr Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, who also attended the talks, responsible for the Torkham ‘fiasco’. “He [Afghan envoy] misguided his government on the Torkham situation,” the official said.

The ‘miscommunication and misunderstanding’ prompted the two countries to agree on the need for an effective mechanism for consultations and discussions on border-related issues.

The agreement on the establishment of mechanism was confirmed by both Pakistan and Afghanistan in their separate statements issued after the talks. “During the discussions, it was emphasised that there was a need for creating a suitable mechanism for consultation on border management issues,” says a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

The statement reads that talks between the two delegations were held in a cordial atmosphere marked by a mutual desire to amicably resolve border-related issues. Both sides decided to work in the spirit of good neighbourly relations and friendly cooperation between the two countries, it adds.

The two sides agreed that the ideas generated in Monday’s deliberations will be shared with the leadership and further discussed and refined during a meeting between Sartaj Aziz and the Afghan foreign minister on the sidelines of the forthcoming SCO Summit in Tashkent on June 23-24.

“Effective border management is vital for promoting peace, countering terrorism and strengthening relations between the two countries,” says the statement.

Afghan govt version

While Pakistan’s statement was reconciliatory, the Afghan Foreign Ministry’s official handout was more candid.

According to the Afghan statement, Hikmat Khalil Karzai raised with Aizaz Chaudhary various violations by Pakistan, including their building of installations and check posts inside the Afghan territory in Angoor Adda, Ghulam Khan, and Khoja Kheder mountain.

Moreover, he strongly protested against Pakistan’s ongoing unprovoked artillery shelling of Afghan villages.

“The Afghan side noted that in the fight against terrorism no distinction be made between good and bad terrorists, and that Afghanistan and Pakistan should cooperate to defeat terrorism and end regional support for extremism,” says the Afghan foreign ministry.

“In the meeting, respect for the mutual sovereignty and commitment to the principles of non-interference, non-aggression, and good neighbourly relations were stressed,” it adds. “They acknowledged that the stability, security, and prosperity of Afghanistan depend on those of Pakistan and vice versa.”

Warmongers active despite negotiations

Even though Pakistani and Afghan officials met in Islamabad, warmongers in Afghanistan, including senior government officials, made provocative statements.

The Uzbek warlord and the first vice president, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, told a group of ethnic Uzbek soldiers that he would march towards Torkham with 5,000 troops to defend the country. He also pushed the people to stand up against Pakistan, according to Afghan media.

The notorious warlord, who is accused by international rights groups of massacres of people in northern Afghanistan, said he has no problem to assemble people to fight against Pakistan, Afghan 1TV reported on Sunday.

The US has refused to grant a visa to Dostum for his involvement in human rights violation, according to the Afghan media.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2016.